Over 300 daily-wage employees of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), primarily drivers of the door-to-door garbage collection vehicles, went on a sudden strike on Saturday morning after receiving only half their salary for the month of October. This abrupt work stoppage completely halted the city’s garbage collection services for approximately four hours.

 

The impact of the strike became evident after the first morning round, as drivers parked their vehicles at various plant locations across the city’s 21 municipal zones. The striking employees alleged that their wages had been deliberately cut by 15 days. Strike ends after meeting with Commissioner: However, the deadlock was resolved by noon. Employee union leaders met with

 

BMC Commissioner Sanskrati Jain at the Mata Mandir municipal headquarters. During the meeting, the administration clarified that no pay cut had occurred, but rather confusion had spread due to misinformation from the AHOs (Assistant Health Officers) and supervisors. The administration explained that the October salary was intentionally split into two parts: the first part was based on manual attendance

 

(October 1 to 15) and was released quickly, while the second part was being processed based on the new face attendance system (October 16 to 31). Administration Denies Cut, Orders Inquiry into Misinformation: Additional Commissioner (Finance) Gunwant Sevarkar completely dismissed the allegations of a pay cut. He stated, “There is no deduction in salary.

 

The payment for the first 15 days was promptly issued to ensure employees’ families do not face inconvenience. Work on the remaining period’s salary is also underway. All officers and union representatives were informed about this arrangement beforehand.” Despite prior notification, the misinformation spread rapidly among employees, leading to the morning strike. Union leaders also acknowledged that they lacked complete information before the meeting. Following the clarification,

 

all organisations agreed to resume work, and garbage collection services returned to normal by the afternoon. Internal friction among the unions also surfaced during the meeting, as the Commissioner first met with three organisations, but other groups insisted on separate meetings, leading to internal differences among the leaders. Anil Shravan (District President, All India Sanitation Workers Union):

 

“We also lacked correct information initially, causing confusion. Everything is clear now, and we hope the remaining salary will be credited in a day or two.” Sanskrati Jain (BMC Commissioner): “We are investigating who spread the rumour of the salary cut. The strike has been called off after clarification. The system is working normally, and the pending salary is being disbursed shortly.”